Samy Gemayel
Encyclopedia
Sami Gemayel is a Lebanese
politician and a senior member of the Phalange party. It was announced in February 2009 that he would be one of two Phalangists to run for a spot in Lebanon's parliament in the parliamentary elections
that was to be held in June, representing the Matn District
.
Gemayel emerged as one of five Phalangists to win in the elections throughout Lebanon, and the only one to win in the Matn District.
family in Lebanon. His grandfather, Pierre Gemayel
, founded the Phalange party in 1936. Sami is the son of former Lebanese President and current Phalange leader Amine Gemayel
. His older brother, Pierre
, was a member of parliament and government minister before his assassination on November 21, 2006. Sami is also the nephew of the assassinated former President-elect Bachir Gemayel
.
Gemayel holds a B.A. in Law (2003) and an M.A. in Public Law (2005) from Saint Joseph University in Beirut
.
, and in 2006 he launched the Loubnanouna (Our Lebanon) Movement, separate from the Phalange Party. Sami's movement aimed at reuniting the politically divided Lebanese Christians. Sami is a big critic of both Hezbollah's military wing and the Michel Aoun
-led Free Patriotic Movement
, the main Christian party in opposition to the American-backed ruling majority March 14 Movement. In a 2006 interview following the Israeli-Hezbollah War, Gemayel accused Hezbollah of wanting "to implement an Islamic state in Lebanon," also adding that "Hezbollah is functioning as [its own] state: political power, economical power, social allegiance, military power, a region where it imposes its laws... all the attributes of a state." He has expressed hope that Lebanese Christians would reunite under similar political stances, and has stressed that the Phalange is open to all Christians.
After the assassination of his brother Pierre Amine Gemayel
in November 2006, Sami rejoined the Phalange Party to head the Phalangist Youth and Student Council and later became the coordinator of the Phalange Central Committee.
for a political alliance in the Matn District
in the Lebanese parliamentary elections
that were to be hold in June. They declared that Sami Gemayel would run for a seat in parliament as one of two Phalangists hoping to represent the Matn District
of Lebanon, the other being Elie Karami. On April 3, 2009, Sami officially announced his candidacy and again stated that "Christian unity is the only solution" to Lebanon's problems.
After his nomination in February 2009, Sami had constantly stressed the importance of all Lebanese voting in the upcoming elections. On February 21, he stated that the Christian voters would make the difference in a choice between "Lebanon, the country of Resistance and the main state to be affected by the Arab-Israeli conflict or Lebanon, the non-aligned and democratic country." Gemayel has also stated that the Phalange would not make any agreement or reconcile with the Free Patriotic Movement
as long as the latter continued to stand in support of Hezbollah bearing arms.
Following a long count, Sami Gemayel was elected into parliament. Of seven seats possible to win in the Matn District
, one went to Sami, one to ally Michel Murr
, and the remaining to the Free Patriotic Movement
led by Michel Aoun
.
, asking him if he thought that all Lebanese who shared the Phalange's views were "Israeli agents." On September 8, 2010, he caused controversy when he claimed that “he is not ashamed that his party dealt with Israel against Syria at a certain stage.” Sami insisted that given the situation in which they were facing both PLO
militiamen and Syrian troops
, the Phalange had no choice but to accept aid from Israel. At the same time, he stated that any Lebanese foreign collaboration that took place since the end of the civil war in 1990 is not justifiable and that those who did collaborate should be considered traitors and foreign agents.
In December 2009, he expressed hope that Lebanon would play a positive, neutral role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
, as long as neither side attacked Lebanon. Gemayel also said that Lebanese-Syrian relations could only be "perfect" once Syria releases the Lebanese detainees in their prisons and settles its boarder disputes with Lebanon.
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
politician and a senior member of the Phalange party. It was announced in February 2009 that he would be one of two Phalangists to run for a spot in Lebanon's parliament in the parliamentary elections
Lebanese general election, 2009
-Background:Prior to the election, the process to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 years was put into motion, but as this requires a constitutional amendment, it did not happen before the election.- Allocation of seats :...
that was to be held in June, representing the Matn District
Matn District
Matn , sometimes spelled Metn, is a district in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut...
.
Gemayel emerged as one of five Phalangists to win in the elections throughout Lebanon, and the only one to win in the Matn District.
Early life
Sami was born into a prominent Maronite CatholicMaronite Church
The Syriac Maronite Church of Antioch is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See of Rome . It traces its heritage back to the community founded by Maron, a 4th-century Syriac monk venerated as a saint. The first Maronite Patriarch, John Maron, was elected in the late 7th...
family in Lebanon. His grandfather, Pierre Gemayel
Pierre Gemayel
Sheikh Pierre Gemayel , was a Lebanese political leader...
, founded the Phalange party in 1936. Sami is the son of former Lebanese President and current Phalange leader Amine Gemayel
Amine Gemayel
Amine Pierre Gemayel was President of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988 and is the leader of Kataeb Party.Born in the Lebanese village of Bikfaya, Amine Gemayel is the son of Pierre Gemayel, founder of the Kataeb Party...
. His older brother, Pierre
Pierre Amine Gemayel
Pierre Amine Gemayel was a Lebanese politician in the Kataeb Party, better known in English as the Phalange Party. Lebanon's second-youngest MP, he was a rising star in his party...
, was a member of parliament and government minister before his assassination on November 21, 2006. Sami is also the nephew of the assassinated former President-elect Bachir Gemayel
Bachir Gemayel
Bachir Gemayel was a Lebanese politician, militia commander, and president-elect...
.
Gemayel holds a B.A. in Law (2003) and an M.A. in Public Law (2005) from Saint Joseph University in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
.
Political Activism
Sami Gemayel was the head of the student movement of the Phalange party as a law student at Saint Joseph University from 1999 to the early 2000s. His policies were considered more conservative and nationalistic than those of his father Amine GemayelAmine Gemayel
Amine Pierre Gemayel was President of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988 and is the leader of Kataeb Party.Born in the Lebanese village of Bikfaya, Amine Gemayel is the son of Pierre Gemayel, founder of the Kataeb Party...
, and in 2006 he launched the Loubnanouna (Our Lebanon) Movement, separate from the Phalange Party. Sami's movement aimed at reuniting the politically divided Lebanese Christians. Sami is a big critic of both Hezbollah's military wing and the Michel Aoun
Michel Aoun
Michel Naim Aoun is a former Lebanese Army Commander and he is one of the allies of Hezbollah. From 22 September 1988 to 13 October 1990, he has served as Prime Minister of the legal one of two rival governments that contended for power. He declared "The Liberation War" against the Syrian...
-led Free Patriotic Movement
Free Patriotic Movement
The Free Patriotic Movement , also known as the "Aounist Movement" , is a Lebanese political party, led by Michel Aoun and allied with Hezbollah, The movement was officially declared a political party on September 18, 2005Though most of the party's support comes from Lebanon's...
, the main Christian party in opposition to the American-backed ruling majority March 14 Movement. In a 2006 interview following the Israeli-Hezbollah War, Gemayel accused Hezbollah of wanting "to implement an Islamic state in Lebanon," also adding that "Hezbollah is functioning as [its own] state: political power, economical power, social allegiance, military power, a region where it imposes its laws... all the attributes of a state." He has expressed hope that Lebanese Christians would reunite under similar political stances, and has stressed that the Phalange is open to all Christians.
After the assassination of his brother Pierre Amine Gemayel
Pierre Amine Gemayel
Pierre Amine Gemayel was a Lebanese politician in the Kataeb Party, better known in English as the Phalange Party. Lebanon's second-youngest MP, he was a rising star in his party...
in November 2006, Sami rejoined the Phalange Party to head the Phalangist Youth and Student Council and later became the coordinator of the Phalange Central Committee.
Election
Early in 2009, the Phalange announced that it struck a deal with Michel MurrMichel Murr
Michel Murr is a Lebanese politician and businessman. He first occupied the post of Minister of the Interior, as well as being Deputy Prime Minister in Rafik Hariri's first cabinet in 1992 and remained in the post in all subsequent cabinets formed by Hariri, except the last one, in which his son,...
for a political alliance in the Matn District
Matn District
Matn , sometimes spelled Metn, is a district in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut...
in the Lebanese parliamentary elections
Lebanese general election, 2009
-Background:Prior to the election, the process to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 years was put into motion, but as this requires a constitutional amendment, it did not happen before the election.- Allocation of seats :...
that were to be hold in June. They declared that Sami Gemayel would run for a seat in parliament as one of two Phalangists hoping to represent the Matn District
Matn District
Matn , sometimes spelled Metn, is a district in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut...
of Lebanon, the other being Elie Karami. On April 3, 2009, Sami officially announced his candidacy and again stated that "Christian unity is the only solution" to Lebanon's problems.
After his nomination in February 2009, Sami had constantly stressed the importance of all Lebanese voting in the upcoming elections. On February 21, he stated that the Christian voters would make the difference in a choice between "Lebanon, the country of Resistance and the main state to be affected by the Arab-Israeli conflict or Lebanon, the non-aligned and democratic country." Gemayel has also stated that the Phalange would not make any agreement or reconcile with the Free Patriotic Movement
Free Patriotic Movement
The Free Patriotic Movement , also known as the "Aounist Movement" , is a Lebanese political party, led by Michel Aoun and allied with Hezbollah, The movement was officially declared a political party on September 18, 2005Though most of the party's support comes from Lebanon's...
as long as the latter continued to stand in support of Hezbollah bearing arms.
Following a long count, Sami Gemayel was elected into parliament. Of seven seats possible to win in the Matn District
Matn District
Matn , sometimes spelled Metn, is a district in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut...
, one went to Sami, one to ally Michel Murr
Michel Murr
Michel Murr is a Lebanese politician and businessman. He first occupied the post of Minister of the Interior, as well as being Deputy Prime Minister in Rafik Hariri's first cabinet in 1992 and remained in the post in all subsequent cabinets formed by Hariri, except the last one, in which his son,...
, and the remaining to the Free Patriotic Movement
Free Patriotic Movement
The Free Patriotic Movement , also known as the "Aounist Movement" , is a Lebanese political party, led by Michel Aoun and allied with Hezbollah, The movement was officially declared a political party on September 18, 2005Though most of the party's support comes from Lebanon's...
led by Michel Aoun
Michel Aoun
Michel Naim Aoun is a former Lebanese Army Commander and he is one of the allies of Hezbollah. From 22 September 1988 to 13 October 1990, he has served as Prime Minister of the legal one of two rival governments that contended for power. He declared "The Liberation War" against the Syrian...
.
Political Positions
Within Lebanon, Sami is known for his staunch right-wing stances. In May 2010, he criticized Hezbollah chief Hassan NasrallahHassan Nasrallah
Hasan Nasrallah, became the third Secretary General of the Lebanese political and paramilitary organization Hezbollah after Israel assassinated the previous leader, Abbas al-Musawi, in 1992. Hezbollah in its entirety is considered a terrorist organization by The United States, the Netherlands,...
, asking him if he thought that all Lebanese who shared the Phalange's views were "Israeli agents." On September 8, 2010, he caused controversy when he claimed that “he is not ashamed that his party dealt with Israel against Syria at a certain stage.” Sami insisted that given the situation in which they were facing both PLO
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
militiamen and Syrian troops
Syrian Army
The Syrian Army, officially called the Syrian Arab Army, is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It is the dominant military service of the four uniformed services, controlling the senior most posts in the armed forces, and has the greatest manpower, approximately 80 percent of the...
, the Phalange had no choice but to accept aid from Israel. At the same time, he stated that any Lebanese foreign collaboration that took place since the end of the civil war in 1990 is not justifiable and that those who did collaborate should be considered traitors and foreign agents.
In December 2009, he expressed hope that Lebanon would play a positive, neutral role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
, as long as neither side attacked Lebanon. Gemayel also said that Lebanese-Syrian relations could only be "perfect" once Syria releases the Lebanese detainees in their prisons and settles its boarder disputes with Lebanon.